Normal me: Okay, anyway, where were we…oh yes, today’s post, first in a while. Sorry about that. Been rather busy. Anyway, today, we’re going to look at some publicity posters developed for Star Trek: Avenger, were it to ever actually be produced.

Artistic me: We’ll start with the standard posters. These ones are the ones you’d see around series launch time. Typical, somewhat conservative posters.

Nerdy me: First one, the starship showcase shot. Try saying that five times fast.

Nerdy me: After that, we have the minimalistic ones. James couldn’t decide what he preferred to do, so he made a few different versions:

Apathetic me: If anyone cares, the fonts are Vandiana Platin and Eras Light ITC. At any rate, if James ever forgets again, here it is as a reminder for him.

Normal me: Now what kind of a post would this be if we didn’t show you the horrors of previous attempts?

Apathetic me: A much better one, that’s what kind of post it would be.

Normal me: Shut up, no one cares what you think.

Apathetic me: I know, why do you think I’m always apathetic?

Normal me: We’ll discuss the psychology later, now back to the subject at hand.

Artistic me: Yeah, here are some of the old old posters…

Artistic me: It’s been over three years since James made this, now. Can you tell? Ugh. Furthermore…

About two and a half years since James made this one. For those familiar with his work, you may notice this was back in the Mark I Avenger days. Oh, that old mesh…it brings back some memories.

Normal me: Anyway, sorry for that horror show. As recompense, we’d like to leave you with some more pleasant images.Very modern in styling compared to those hack jobs.

Nerdy me: They’re not very “Star Trek,” at least in my opinion, harumph.

Apathetic me: Get off your soap box and deal. It’d appeal to the masses.

Nerdy me: Oh like you ever care about appealing to the masses, you wannabe hipster elitist.

Sports Fanatic me: Ooh, fight?

Normal me: No, this isn’t hockey. Settle down, kids.

Artistic me: Thank you. Now, as we were saying.

Artistic me: In Season 2, the Avenger would be stuck in the Mirror Universe, trying to get back. They’re being pursued at all times and, when they get the chance, they have a bit of fun being belligerent toward their Mirror counterparts, just to tick them off. It works especially well with the captain’s counterpart, who then makes it a personal goal to eliminate our good captain. Anyway, because of the sometimes fun, sometimes rebellious, sometimes devious attitudes taken by the crew, James decided to go with a grunge theme for one of the posters.

Artistic me: This one fits better with the Season 4 or 5 attitude. They’re in the midst of a war, and the fun is all gone. Things are much more serious, especially while they’re on the losing side. Anyway, that’s all for now. There may be more in the works later.

Normal me: And that ends this installment of “A Conversation With Myself.” Hope to see you back soon. TTFN.

Normal me: Usually, James likes to do stuff on his own. He prefers to figure things out independently. However, once in a rare while, he’ll actually defer to a higher knowledge base.
Artistic me: Back when James had Photoshop on his desktop, he never had to worry about making planets. He got the lunarcell plug-in and all his problems were solved. Well, GIMP doesn’t have that kind of fancy do-dad, so he had to do things a little differently.
Normal me: He’s changed his style of planet creation several times. For a while, he’d resort to stock photos of real planets, CG models with pre-made textures, or just basic orbs for long distance shots.
Artistic me: Now, though, there’s a new trick, and he found it here: http://mygimptutorial.com/the-ultimate-gimp-planet-tutorial
Normal me: It worked pretty well for him, as evidenced by this image, his first piece of pure Space Art:

Artistic me: Now compare that to some of his early planets from 2008:

Normal me: Frightful. I’d say the first piece posted is a definite improvement.

Artistic me: Well, the “Cosmic Scales” image still wasn’t quite what James intended for the piece when he started it off. He had to wait for his ships to render, et voila:

Normal me: He should retexture the Avenger again.

Artistic me: I think he knows that.

Normal me: Oh well, anyway, hope you enjoyed the two latest pieces. Also, we hope you didn’t get scared off by the middle one.

Apathetic me: I’d like to take this opportunity to say… Screw Valentine’s Day.

Normal me: James wouldn’t have said that last year.

Apathetic me: Things were different last year.

Normal me: That they were. That they were… Anyway, enough of that. Have a nice day folks. See you around the galaxy.

Artistic me: Before you see the next post, please note, James has never used illegal substances. Matter of fact, he doesn’t even drink or smoke. You don’t have to be high to be artistic *sticks out tongue*

Normal me: …you’re sure wasn’t stoned?

Artistic me: YES I’m sure he wasn’t stoned.

Nerdy me: What…exactly were you trying to make? Plasma tendrils?

Artistic me: Yeah, something like that. I just wanted it to be bright spots in the nebula, at first, but then things got crazy. I figured if I’m gonna go nuts, better do it all the way.

Apathetic me: Excuse me whilst I have an epileptic seizure.

Artistic me: Oh shut it.

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Sports Fanatic me: In other news, the Wilksbarre-Scranton Baby Penguins lost to the New York Islanders last night 3-9…

Normal me: Those were the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sports Fanatic.

Sports Fanatic me: Have you seen their list of injuries? The Penguins are all hurt. They’ve practically brought the whole AHL team up.

Normal me: Fair enough.

Sports Fanatic me: No, it’s not.

Normal me: I didn’t mean it that way…

Sports Fanatic me: Also in the news, an ESPN Insider simulation predicts the Pittsburgh Pirates will take the NL Central Pennant. With help from other teams being lame. Big thing to take from this story: they think the Pirates might have a winning season for once.

Normal me: They usually win when James goes, don’t they?

Sports Fanatic me: *sighs* yeah, but he hasn’t gone to a game in eight years almost.

Normal me: Anyone want to buy James season tickets?

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Artistic me: Look at that conversation, now back to me, now back to that one, now back to me. Okay, good, moving on. Now then, old stuff…

Artistic me: And new stuff…

Artistic me: Much better, yes?

Normal me: Fits much better with the Avenger’s aesthetic in general.

Artistic me: I thought so too. Anyway, there’s a new piece in the works with two brand new planets, made totally from scratch. Stay tuned folks.

Normal me: Okay everyone, here’s the deal. James’ computer is being a pain in the rear end right now. It’s not rendering anything quite right, leaving visual artifacts everywhere. While we wait for him to figure something out, here’s something new. Music is an integral part of Star Trek as well as James’ creative process, so why not review some? So, that’s what Artistic is going to do. I hand it over to you, Artistic.

Artistic me: Thanks. So, today we’re going to review “The Transformed Man,” William Shatner’s debut album. Please, please, hold your scornful laughter until later. It’s honestly better than you think, if you look at it the way it was meant to be looked at. What Shatner tried to do here is juxtapose modern and classical prose and poetry so as to show that even modern works have artistic merit. Most of the pieces that are juxtaposed do, in fact, present opposite sides to their respective subject. You’ll see what I mean as we go through each track. And now, without further ado, let’s look at the music of the Shat.

The first track on Shatner’s debut album features one of Shakespeare’s most well known monologues, the “Once more unto the breach, dear friends…” speech from Henry V. In this selection, Shatner emphasizes the motivating aspect of the speech. The effort behind the speech is to motivate Henry’s troops in advance of their battle with the numerically superior French forces. This is explained in the introduction of the track and sets the scene as one of immanent battle. The hard-charging, drum driven music brings out the pulse-pounding and adrenaline filled atmosphere of medieval combat.

(Personally, I’d never do the monologue that way myself, but it provides a referent for me if I ever play the role. I’ll follow Kenneth Brannagh’s version more closely, I think.)

As you hear Henry charge off into battle, however, the mood set by the music changes dramatically. Changing to one of melancholy or sadness, it sets up the transition to the second portion of the track, a piece I believe to be original and written specifically for this album, “Elegy for the Brave.” It speaks of a fallen soldier in a calm field; a field that, like that of Flanders, fails to betray the true losses that occurred there. The expression on his face is not one of peace but of confusion or loss, exemplifying a popular feeling about war at the time as pointless or unclear. The soldier is lucky, in a way. He does not experience the sadness caused by his loss or have to watch himself decay in old age. He is now at peace. His fight is over, and his rest will be eternal.

These two pieces contrast the popular opinion of war in the eras in which they were written. In Shakespeare’s era and the era of Henry V, war was an honorable profession; one that men would aspire to so they may prove their worth. On the other hand, in the mid 20th century, particularly the Vietnam era, war was a scornful occupation, one that was to be avoided or shunned.

(Please neglect the Hamlet piece, we’ll discuss that later.)

“Theme from Cyrano/Mr. Tambourine Man” (Bob Dylan)

Track two begins with a monologue based on the Edmond Rostand play “Cyrano de Bergerac.” The essence of this monologue lies in the concepts of self-confidence and artistic independence. The speaker, Cyrano, expresses his disdain for many of his contemporaries who would best be described in modern terms as “sell-outs.” These “poets” and “writers” create their works of art not for the sake of creating them, but instead to gain wealth and fame. Cyrano, on the other hand, remains independent of these individuals. He creates his own works and cherishes them for the merit they have in his own eyes. Disregarding public opinion, he judges his writing for what it is and not who it is meant to impress. In fact, he doesn’t set out to impress anyone. Writing is his passion and as long as he can continue, he will be satisfied. With his independence, any successes will be his and he will not owe anyone for the positive responses he may receive. Cyrano remains free of patrons or followers and takes his own path to his own personal success, taking pride in what he does because he and he alone accomplished it.

The second segment is a dramatic interpretation of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.” Oft criticized, this interpretation emphasizes the “follower” personality of the speaker. Shatner’s rendition brings out a mood of uncertainty and even fear. Whereas Cyrano was independent and confident, the speaker now is unable to choose his own path. He seeks out the leadership of another to inspire him. Desperately, he expresses his desire to follow the “Tambourine Man” on whatever journey he undertakes. The speaker discounts his own senses and feelings, relying upon the thoughts and beliefs of another, allowing that person to choose his destinations, ideas, and even future.

The comparison between a highly self-motivated artist and the fearful follower gives another interesting perspective in the change of mindset over time. Produced in 1968, the album can be considered a microcosmic showcase of the mood of the time. The future was, in the minds of the country’s youth, uncertain and turbulent. The speaker in “Mr. Tambourine Man” encapsulated this uncertainty and brought the fear and apathy felt by many together with a hint of cynicism toward the conformity to “non-conformist” ideals.

(Fitting that the clips would be from Star Trek, though I have no idea why these scenes were chosen. Any correlation is dubious at best.)

“Hamlet/It Was a Very Good Year” (Ervin Drake, Don Ralke)

The third track starts with Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” monologue, one of the most famous of all monologues ever written. (See, told you we’d get to it). Shatner’s rendition brings out not only the desperate depression but also the anger associated with Hamlet’s dissatisfaction with his situation. The emotions build up progressively from dejection to determination to anger and finally collapse back into dejection as Hamlet’s sudden epiphany about the merit of ending his own life falls apart when he realizes that would not solve any of his problems.

To counter the melancholy of Hamlet’s somber monologue, Shatner follows it up with a song made famous two years earlier by Frank Sinatra. “It Was a Very Good Year” follows the speaker as he looks back on his life. Picking out romances from different stages in his life, he examines each one, remembering the pleasant moments in them. Shatner imbues each verse in order with contentedness, cockiness, and casual calmness. In the final verse, he begins to speak uneasily about his age until, after remembering the good times he had in his life, he becomes confident that he lived a good life, asserting that it was, in fact, a very good year.

These two pieces together present opposite sides of the human condition at the end of what could be described as a positive phase of life. Hamlet looks upon his current situation and instead of remembering the good times he had experienced focuses on the negative of the present. The speaker in “It Was a Very Good Year,” however, realizes that the best days of his life are over and accepts that fact with grace, reminiscing about all his pleasant experiences. Certainly, if more people would tend toward the second viewpoint, life would be much better for all, would it not?

(The following video comes from Shatner’s performance of this piece on the Mike Douglas Show)

Everybody knows the “what light through yonder window breaks” monologue from “Romeo and Juliet.” Shatner performs it as one would expect it to be performed. Beginning with awe-struck wonder, he quietly compliments Juliet from the shadows until she comes to the balcony. In an instant of panic, he recedes before continuing his monologue. His momentary sadness at the fact that Juliet knows not of his presence shifts to admiration as he maintains that she herself is communing with the heavens. His confidence grows progressively through the piece as he continues admiring Juliet from afar.

As the monologue ends, there is a sudden dramatic change in the tone of the music with an ominous drumbeat preceeding the melancholy violin and soft piano that accompanies the second portion of the track, “How Insensitive,” “a bossa nova jazz standardcomposed by Antônio Carlos Jobim, loosely based on Frederic Chopin’s Prelude No.4 with lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes [with] English lyrics […] written by Norman Gimbel.” The soft, sad music accompanies Shatner’s depressed reading of the lyrics as he speaks of the lover he left behind. Interestingly, the track ends with faint, howling wind to mirror the emotional desolation of the speaker.

Two different looks at love, one at either end of a relationship. The “Romeo and Juliet” monologue shows us the desperate admiration and longing that one feels before finally winning the heart of their love. “How Insensitive,” on the other hand, shows us the lonely sadness of one whose love has ended and the pain felt at leaving a lover forever. This track is another small microcosm on the human condition with two of the most painful conditions one can find him or herself in.

(I had to put this one up myself…if it isn’t blocked or anything, which it probably is. If so, leave a comment and I’ll link to an audio file…somehow.)

“Spleen/Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (Frank Devenport, Lennon/McCartney)

As I understand it, “Spleen” was an original work written for this album. To say the least, the music belongs in a 60’s horror film, possibly featuring Vincent Price. Shatner delivers the initial lines of the piece with a quiet foreboding that enhances the frightful aspects of the dialogue itself. As though a look into the mind of an unstable man, things quickly fall apart, accentuated by ringing bells and chaotic, discordant tones. The speaker relays the manic scene inside his mind fearfully, on the verge of a breakdown, until finally, the segment ends with a defeated speaker concluding his rant, followed by a final crash of thunder.

In a sharp turnaround, however, the music turns to an almost magical, mysterious tune, bringing in the familiar refrain of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” The following rendition is often criticized, but if you really consider it carefully, it fits the time and the theme of the song well. Amazement, surprise, wonder, and excitement mingle as each aspect of the fantasy is revealed. Shatner dwells on the specific characteristics of the scene, emphasizing the unique and wondrous quality of the world created by the lyrics.

Horror film fodder crossed with psychedelic imagery, this track brings out two contrasting elements of the human psyche. The dark images of depression are exemplified in “Spleen” while “Lucy” presents a hallucinogenic euphoria. These two sets of visuals, or rather the prevailing moods associated with them, are present in all minds to some extent and are taken to their extreme in this case.

(Not quite sure what the person who put this together was on. Then again, we do know what Lennon and McCartney were on…)

“The Transformed Man” (Frank Devenport, Don Ralke)

Ostensibly another original piece written for this album, the juxtaposition occurs within itself. The brief description of our materialistic and busy world provides the contrast against which the rest of the prose can be viewed. The speaker leaves behind the world we all are trapped in and becomes one with nature, looking for a transcendent view of reality. He becomes one with “the eternal now,” silently meditating upon the majesty of nature until he “touch[es] the face of God.”

This track, the shortest of the album, is somewhat of an enigma among the more purposed tracks preceding it. An examination of a man’s quest for enlightenment, it stands alone as a piece that requires no background. It is what it is and it makes no bones about that fact.

Artistic me: Okay, hopefully that helps you with seeing Shatner’s intention in creating this album. He wasn’t trying to be a musician, he was trying to be an educator. He saw the best there was to see in contemporary prose, poetry, and song and wanted to bring that out for all to see, showing that what we have today is not so far removed from the great works of the past.

Normal me: Thank you, Artistic, that was a good commentary on an album that most people point to as a joke.

Artistic me: It’s really unfair, don’t you think?

Normal me: I’d agree. But now, even though James doesn’t have any new artwork to post, what would this blog entry be without some of his Trek work? In the mode of “The Transformed Man,” we’ll compare some of his early work with what he’s done more recently.

February 21, 2008: Batsai Class Fighter:

Looks very much like a toy. Though somewhat streamlined as a result of the whole “subdivision” tactic, it’s certainly not too refined in its shape. Goodness knows the flat aft profile won’t win it a Collier Trophy any time soon.

1 December 2010: Iolair Class Fighter:

Certainly a much more refined design with better aerodynamics by far. Partially inspired by the YF-23, I believe.

Normal me: Well, that’s it for today. Hopefully we can continue to bring you more images as well as musical reviews. Until next time, on behalf of all of us, this is Normal signing out.

Apathetic me: Yeah, he’s still at it. James is okay as long as no one mentions the game, but the pain’s still there. I’m like ‘whatever, next year maybe.’ But that’s just me.

Normal me: At least he’s still got the Penguins…

Sports Fanatic me: MALKIN’S OUT FOR THE SEASON WITH A TORN ACL AND MCL.

Normal me: Uhm…well, yes, that sucks, but they’ll manage. And the Pirates will be starting up soon too.

Apathetic me: Hard to be disappointed when you have no expectations to start with…

Normal me: Now to the business at hand. Take it away, Nerdy and Artistic.

Artistic me: Okay, so, today’s piece is totally not in line with what my normal style is. Then again, so was that “Eclipse” piece, but whatever. I’ll let Nerdy explain the problem with most of my pieces.

Nerdy me: *pushes glasses up* Okay everyone, here’s your lesson for the day. First, pop quiz: why are there no stars in most of NASA’s photos?

Artistic me: …not because they’re fake, I know that much.

Nerdy me: Thank you for that enlightened observation… The reason you don’t see any stars is because the cameras used are set for daylight exposure, meaning the shutter isn’t open long enough to capture starlight. In fact, the light of the stars is considerably dimmer than that of the light reflected off of the Earth, Moon, or other celestial bodies. As such, in order to avoid overexposure, they leave the cameras at daylight exposure, as I had mentioned. Ergo, no stars visible.

Artistic me: Yeah, all well and good, I know, but it makes for some dull scenes.

Nerdy me: *sticks out tongue* photographs of the planets are spectacular enough on their own.

Artistic me: I won’t argue that they lack artistic merit. That’s definitely not true. But the point is, if you look at sci-fi art, you see stars. Lots and lots of stars. Well, in today’s picture, we were going for a more “realistic” look. Hence the black background.

Nerdy me: Saturn’s my favorite planet… *geeks out*

Artistic me: It’s really photogenic, isn’t it?

Nerdy me: Ohhhh yes, it’s beautiful.

Artistic me: Glad we chose to use that one instead of any other planet. I don’t think it would have worked quite the same way.

Nerdy me: Nope.

Artistic me: Alright, well, there’s your lesson for the day. Now here’s a bonus, something from the archives. A comparison of what James managed to make back years ago as compared to now:

Artistic me: You know, James may go back and redo this ship eventually…it’s got potential, I think.

Nerdy me: I always liked it, he did some good images with her. I hope he does revisit it.

Normal me: Well, that’s all for today, see you all next time. Normal, out.

Apathetic me: Hey, uh…it’s me. Yeah. For those of you who don’t know, the Steelers lost the Super Bowl. Sports Fanatic is taking it kinda hard. Okay, well, not kinda hard. He’s devastated. James is pretty down right now. He takes playoff losses really hard. He wasn’t really cognoscent when the Steelers lost Super Bowl XXX, so this is his first actual experience dealing with a Super Bowl loss. Sports Fanatic and I are going to be pretty dominant for a while. Sports Fanatic for the whole ‘being upset about the game’ deal and me for the moodiness and general apathy and quiet dejection.

Normal me: Here’s a background of James’ “playoff loss” experiences (denoted by season, not year in which the game took place).

2002: Steelers lose to Titans in Divisional round. James had been so excited this season that me made a cute little poster thing which he angrily tore up after the Titans won in overtime. He never forgot that day.

2004: Steelers lose to Patriots in AFC Championship game. There were no words for this. He moped around for quite a while. The season had gone so well, but with the way the Steelers had performed the previous week, he wasn’t completely surprised at the outcome.

2007: Steelers lose to Jaguars in Wild Card round. Wasn’t such a big deal at that point because he was just glad the team made it to the playoffs under their new coach Mike Tomlin.

2010: Steelers lose to Packers in Super Bowl XLV. He’s not surprised. For the last two Super Bowls, he had a gut feeling. He could tell midway through the season that they were going to win it all. This year…he never had that feeling. In fact, he was anticipating a loss, even though he gave the outward appearance of optimism. Still, it doesn’t soften the blow. He’s devastated, like Apathetic said.

Sports Fanatic me: *quietly stares off into space with a pained, distant expression*

Apathetic: Yeah…so it’s gonna be a lousy week. Anyway, here’s something to take the edge off of all this and make this post worthwhile. It ties in with the title. St. Patrick’s day is about a month away and James is a big fan of his Irish heritage (though he still never ever drinks, go figure) so this title was inspired by an Irish ballad. Might as well crack out the Irish favorites now, not like he’ll be listening to his NFL Films music again for a while…

Sports Fanatic me: Well, James and his flight are having a get together in the Guard Room over at the Detachment. He’s providing the snacks and whatnot, so hopefully there’s a fair turnout. Last time the Steelers played in the Super Bowl, he and his roommate went to one of the TV lounges in the basement of the dorm he was in. Big screen TV all to themselves. It was pretty epic.

Normal me: Yeah? Sounds cool. And last year?

Sports Fanatic me: Last year he and his roommate stayed in their room. James cheered on the Saints and his roommate rooted for the Colts. Thankfully, the Saints pulled it out. They’re his second favorite team actually.

Normal me: So, why’s he not watching it with his roomie again?

Sports Fanatic me: He withdrew, unfortunately. He doesn’t have anyone else to watch it with. His Warrior Rep actually suggested the flight watch it together as a flight event, though, so at least he’s got people to watch with this time.

Normal me: Cool, cool…but please tell me he won’t be dressed like he was for Super Bowl XL…

Sports Fanatic me: What, with the pin-on ribbons, jersey, hat, Terrible Towel cape, beads, and other accoutrements? Nah. He doesn’t have the ribbons this year.